1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with the field of reefing devices for controlling various states of deployment of a wing of a descent control device such as a parachute. More particularly the present invention pertains to such reefing devices utilized with gliding wing parachutes which are generally rectangular in shape.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of devices have been patented for the purpose of reefing parachutes and in particular gliding wing parachutes such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,356,493 patented Aug. 22, 1944 to P. F. Smith and assigned to Pioneer Parachute Company, Inc. on a “Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,798 patented Oct. 17, 1950 to M. Hattan on a “Shockless Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,322 patented Aug. 14, 1962 to F. R. Vlasic and assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force on a “Parachute Multiple Reefing System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,639 patented Apr. 12, 1966 to J. R. Mitchell and assigned to G. Q. Parachute Company Limited on a “Reefing Means For Parachutes”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,143 patented Oct. 11, 1966 to H. Engel, Jr. and assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force on a “Parachute Canopy Reefing At Panel Centerlines”; and U.S. Reissue Pat. No. Re. 26,427 patented Jul. 16, 1968 to D. C. Jalbert and assigned to Space Recovery Research Center, Inc. on a “Multi-Cell Wing Type Aerial Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,613 patented Aug. 18, 1970 to J. D Reuter et al and assigned to Pioneer Parachute Company, Inc. on a “Flexible Gliding Wing”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,525,491 patented Aug. 25, 1970 to D. T. Barish and assigned to Barish Associates, Inc. on a “Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,547 patented Sep. 4, 1973 to S. L. Snyder et al on a “Manually Released Refining Control”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,284 patented Nov. 20, 1973 to J. T. Matsuo et al and assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army on a “Controllable Multi-Stage Increasing Drag Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,844 patented Jul. 9, 19174 to S. J. Sutton and assigned to Jack Sutton on a “Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,592 patented Mar. 23, 1976 to S. J. Sutton on an “Air Reefing System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,079 patented Dec. 27, 1977 to C. J. Winchurch and assigned to Irvin Great Britain Limited on a “Parachute Reefing Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,272 patented Dec. 12, 11978 to A. W. Jones et al on an “Aerofoil Structure”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,722 patented Nov. 27, 1979 to M. W. Higgins on a “Control System For Ram Air Gliding Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,627 patented Mar. 3, 1981 to J. T. Matsuo and assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy on a “Multi-Layer Ram Air Parachute Canopy”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,458 patented Dec. 14, 1982 to A. W. Jones et al on an “Airfoil Structure”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,969 patented Aug. 23, 1983 to W. L. B. Gargano and assigned to Edward Strong on a “Gliding Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,366 patented Apr. 3, 1984 to A. A. Keeler et al and assigned to Commonwealth of Australia on a “Parachute Control Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,145 patented Sep. 10, 1985 to J. T. Matsuo and assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy on a “Reefing System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,342 patented May 12, 1987 to D. J. Jones and assigned to the Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on “Methods Of Deploying Parachutes”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,145 patented Jul. 7, 1987 to R. J. Buehrer at al and assigned to FXC Corporation on a “Removable Slider For Parachute Deployment”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,238 patented Nov. 10, 1987 to W. L. B. Gargano on a “Ram Air Parachute With Multiple Pressure Centers”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,970 patented Sep. 20, 1988 to S. J. Sutton on a “Pressure Flow Control Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,636 patented to M. J. Lindgren and assigned to Lockheed Missiles & Space Company on Mar. 21, 1989 on an “Anti-Fouling Tube For An Inflation-Control Line On A Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,423 patented Jul. 11, 1989 to J. D. Reuter and assigned to Pioneer Aerospace Corporation on a “Gliding Wing Parachute Apparatus With Staged Reefing Deployment Means”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,119 patented to B. E. Case et al and assigned to BRS, Inc. on Sep. 5, 1989 on a “Parachute Reefing System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,272 patented Sep. 12, 1989 to R. P. Schwarz on a “High Camber Ram-Air Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,071 patented Aug. 14, 1990 to C. M. Summers, III and assigned to Glide Path International, Inc. on a “Deployment System For Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,785 patented Apr. 9, 1991 to E. Puskas and assigned to Para-Flite, Inc. on a “High Drag Slider Reefing System For Parachutes”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,071 patented Apr. 7, 1992 to P. Rieleit on a “Vehicle, Especially Air Or Water Vehicle”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,482 patented Apr. 13, 1993 to S. M. Ream on a “Ram Air Inflatable Gliding Wing”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,517 patented Apr. 27, 1993 to J. D. Reuter and assigned to Pioneer Aerospace Corporation on a “Large Parachute With Means To Positively Expand And Circularize The Inlet Area To Facilitate Deployment Thereof”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,288 patented May 25, 1993 to N. T. Girdwood and assigned to Parachute Industries of Southern Africa (PTY) LTD on a “Parachute Opening Shock Reducing System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,853 patented Oct. 12, 1993 to T. Ogawa et al and assigned to Falhawk Co. Ltd. and Ashimori Industry Co., Ltd. on a “Canopy For Paraglider And/Or Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,257 patented Dec. 12, 1995 to J. A. Fisher et al and assigned to USBI Co. on a “Deployable Wing”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,678 patented Apr. 6, 1999 to M. C. Butler, Jr. and assigned to Butler Aerospace Technologies, Inc. on a “Device To Control Inflation Characteristics Of Parachutes”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,536 patented Apr. 13, 1999 to C. K. Lee et al and assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army on a “Parafoil Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,547 patented Apr. 24, 2001 to J. J. Smith et al and assigned to Pioneer Aerospace Corporation on a “Large Scale Parafoil Apparatus With An Energy Attenuator For Controlling Initial Deployment”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,451 patented Jan. 18, 2005 to R. L. Fox, Jr. on a “Parachute Slider Reefing With Friction Induced Retardation”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,785 patented May 3, 2005 to D. Preston and assigned to Atair Aerospace on a “Ram Air Parachute With Multistage Deployment”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,295 patented Feb. 7, 2006 to R. L. Fox, Jr. on a “Quonset Type Parachute”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,028,951 patented Apr. 18, 2006 to J. E. Sadeck and assigned to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army on a “Parachute Reefing System”.